T’is the season for all things holly and jolly, so in honor of this, praise for Tokyo Godfathers is in order. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m about to learn you about one of the greatest Christmas movies known to man, Tokyo Godfathers!! Like A Christmas Carole or It’s a Wonderful Life, it’s earned its place as a Christmas tradition. I absolutely adore this movie! No matter how many times I watch it, it never gets old.

Tokyo Godfathers takes place in Tokyo during Christmas when the Church remembers its role in society and extends its hand, to those we ordinarily pass by, in good faith. The film begins with the nativity story; when Jesus Christ, born in a manger, was visited by the Magi bearing the gift of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. During the pageant, we first meet Hana and Gin, two of the three homeless magi sent to protect baby Kiyoko, the pair sit through the final sermon of the year in exchange for food. Upon returning to base with their loot, we met the final Stooge, Miyuki, a teenage runaway and light of Gin’s world.

A Character Analysis
Miyuki, in my opinion, is every person who has ever made a mistake and felt they could never be forgiven. But similar to the father in the story of the prodigal son, he stands with his arms open, waiting for his child to return fully intending to forgive. We learn that she stabbed her father after a fight because her beloved cat, Angel, disappeared. In fear, she fled and has been living with Gin and Hana since.

Gin is the Japanese Ebenezer Scrooge in all his stubborn and cynical glory. It took me a while, but I finally caught on the third or fourth time I watched it. Lol. The ghost of future Gin manifests himself as the white-haired old man. After Losing Miyuki and baby Kiyoko, Hana and Gin exchange strong words, to which Hana dubs him, ‘Human Trash.’ Like Gin, the old man drinks heavily, gambles, and he too refers to himself as human trash. Cut to his final hours, the Old Man lies on his deathbed in a drunken stupor right before passing his winning lottery ticket to Gin. Finally, the spirit of Gin Past is Sachiko’s husband, Mr.Nishizawa. He too has a drinking problem and gambles, but Hana isn’t there to call him human trash; instead, the man literally lives in filth. His whole apartment was covered wall to wall in garbage. Gin also recognizes himself in the man and reprimands him for being a deadbeat husband.

We never get to see Gin’s wife, but I believe she would have Sachiko had it been a young Gin that we saw. Similar to Gin’s wife, who was left to run the bike shop by herself, Sachiko was a hostess working off her husband’s debts. After her miscarriage, she snaps and decides to exit, but baby Kikyo’s smile saves her. Sanity check: While they were hanging on the side of the building Kikyo spoke to her right?

Hana represents the voice of reason or hope. Being born on the streets, he’s no stranger to harsh treatment, but he refuses to let his life experience color his worldview. He didn’t want Kikyo to experience his life, so he made it his business to take her home. I genuinely believe if it wasn’t for him baby Kikyo would have died.

Tokyo Godfathers is a beautiful comedy where it’s more than coincidence, but fate meets the miraculous.

My verdict: a freshly cut rose out of Qing Mirai’s private garden.